A Time to Cast Off

A Time to Cast Off

By Vickie G. Paver

A heavy frost blanketed the trees and ground as Abigail stepped out of the door to go for her morning walk. It was chilly, but she thought some fresh air would help clear her mind. As she walked, the regularity with which unpleasant circumstances had taken place this week still frustrated her. She had been hurt by the seemingly cold and careless words of people she had befriended. One would think that people would be sensitive to each other, especially if they were Christians. Why did Christians have such indifference anyway? Were they that involved with self motivated concerns, forgetting other people? "Okay, God! What lesson do you have in all of this for me," she wondered out loud. Abigail didn't really expect an answer because she was sidetracked by the fact that virtually all the leaves had fallen off the trees except for scarce patches of yellow, red and orange throughout the countryside. She loved it here in this delightful Amish community that nestled in the middle of thousands of acres of beautiful forests.

Picking up the pace now because she was cold, Abigail realized that even though many trees had cast their leaves, they seemed as beautiful to her as when they had their leaves. Their bare branches stretched toward the sky as if some burden had been lifted from them. She also noticed that some of the trees had not shed their leaves and were weighed down by their decay. She felt sorry. They looked so unhappy and unattractive.

Immediately following that thought, she realized that there was a lesson in the way she saw the trees. God pointed out to her that every day she needs to cast on Him all of her unconfessed sins, such as pride and wanting to retaliate because of what others said or did. She knew that sometimes she was guilty of being insensitive to others as well. She needed to be accountable for her own attitudes and actions, forgive others and cast all of her cares on Him. She would then be "free" to stretch toward God in humble adoration and thanksgiving for all that He had done for her.

As we look at Abigail's dilemma can we see anything in our life that we need to cast off and give to God? Truly, as Christians, we should never let a day go by that we do not seek to please God. Because we are human, we do sin every day, whether it is with an uncaring attitude, gossip, anger, a sharp word to someone, pride or a multitude of different kinds of sins. We need to continually take these things to God so that we may be "free" to worship and love Him without being burdened down by the cares of this world. Free to have the relationship we were meant to have with God.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 11, and 12: "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice, and do good in their lives."

vpaver@paversnest.com

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